La Grande Odalisque
Item
-
Title
-
La Grande Odalisque
-
Description
-
Grande Odalisque, also known as Une Odalisque or La Grande Odalisque, is an oil painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres depicting an odalisque, or concubine in 1814. Ingres' contemporaries considered the work to signify Ingres' break from Neoclassicism, indicating a shift toward exotic Romanticism.
-
Date
-
1814
-
Material
-
Oil on canvas
-
Measurements
-
88.9 cm × 162.56 cm (35 inches × 64 inches)
-
Analysis
-
Exoticized female body painted for male pleasure; distorted anatomy emphasizes eroticism:
(19th Century) In La Grande Odalisque, Ingres shows a reclining nude whose body is purposefully stretched and changed to highlight sensuality instead of anatomical accuracy. By exaggerating features like the long back and smooth, pale skin, Ingres focuses on visual pleasure rather than a realistic look. The setting uses Orientalist themes, placing the subject in an imagined, exotic space and making her seem passive and available to the viewer. Ingres follows artistic traditions that link whiteness, softness, and stillness to ideal beauty, showing how images of women are shaped by outside ideals instead of real life. This painting supports traditional ideas of femininity and beauty, presenting the subject mainly for the viewer to look at.
La Grande Odalisque